Radiance
by raspberryrebel
Summary: When Rogue walks into a bookstore and meets a whirlwind of a girl, his world is twisted. Unable to tear himself from her and stop himself from feeling for her, he discovers the darkness behind such radiant light. Can he claim this girl as his without succumbing to the darkness her past brings out in him?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's notes: **__Any characters from Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Ethel and Alina are works of my own imagination and I hold creative license for them._

_Sting and Rogue belong to Fairy Tail to help me with my plot; it simplifies things. Rogue may be OOC. Lemon scenes to be expected, so run away kiddies or skip them when they arrive._

"I need to research something before Sting and I go on a mission, kay?"

"Fro agrees!"

And with that, the Dragon Slayer waved his partner away and stepped into the bookstore. It smelt like parchment and ink, a rather pleasant smell to his extra sharp senses. He gave a blank smile to the old lady sat behind the desk who watched him with eyes that he felt saw through his soul. He shivered before stepping into a random aisle, hoping he found what he needed. _One of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail and I'm shaking because of an old lady? _Rogue shook his midnight locks out of his eyes before scanning the shelves. Barely a minute into his scan, the door opened and what he thought was a young woman rushed in in a whirlwind of light, laughter and smiles. He cocked his ear in intrigue as to who this girl was.

"Afternoon Ethel! Are they here?"

Her voice left him breathless. His ear strained to follow it, as if it was melody that once played, disappears into the soft wind. It was a voice full of promises.

The old lady at the desk laughed, used to her exuberant joy at whatever "they" was.

"They just arrived, they're at the back in the far left corner." Rogue could see the old lady smiling fondly at her. "Knock yourself out honey."

Before he could crane his neck to see who this enigma was, she fled. Captivated by this whirlwind of a girl, he vaporised into nothing more than a shadow and silently passed through the rows jam packed with knowledge, adventure, romance and magic. He finally reached the row just before the girl. She was sat atop a box legs drawn up to her chest, surrounded by what smelt like brand new books.

_She was that excited over new books? _

Rogue looked closely at her, the owner of the voice that seemed as perennial as the wind. She was wholly absorbed by the book she was reading, nibbling a lip as she read as fast as she could. Her eyes flitted here and there across the page. He could practically see the cogs in her head whirring as they tried to keep up with her. She had hair as dark as his he noted with surprise, falling in soft waves, stopping below her elbow. Dust was swirling around her as she sat still, absorbed by her book. The light shone directly behind her, illuminating her silhouette. She was the calm in the storm, radiating a perfect stillness and serenity as the world crashed and fell about her. She looked frail and adorable. Like a fairy.

He decided to stop staring and solidify his body again. He gently sat in front of her, folding his long legs beneath him and picked up the nearest book. All the while, she was absorbed by her book. Before Rogue could stop himself he spoke.

"That book looks very interesting. What is it about?"

She finally glanced up at him with a glazed look in her eyes that had pools of honey in them.

And consequently fell off her box with a squeak. Her head connected with the floor littered with books with an almighty bang. Ethel yelled from her desk, voice tinged with concern.

"Alina? Was that you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ethel" Alina smiled in her direction. "Just tripped and fell"

Ethel laughed and told her to watch her step, they didn't need another accident again.

Alina looked up at the intruder that caused her to fall so catastrophically. He was watching her with surprised yet amused eyes. His red eyes met her caramel ones. A half smile played on his lips.

"I'm sorry" he began, "I didn't intend for you to fall. Are you okay?"

Alina smiled and blinded him. The radiance and good intention behind her smile shocked him. And pulled at something inside him.

"I'm fine thank you. Me falling is nothing new. I usually have a trip once a day" she added with a chagrin. "You had asked me something?"

Rogue shook his head clear and smiled back.

"I don't remember" he lied. "I'm Rogue" he added.

"Alina" she said with a smile. "So what brings you here? I've never seen you before."

"I came to research some things before I went on a mission."

"A mission?" Her eyes widened and the cogs whirred as she thought. "Are you… a mage?"

He smiled at her perceptiveness and nodded.

"Yep. I'm a third generation Shadow Dragon Slayer"

Her eyes practically popped out of her face. She then began to fire questions at him. Rogue merely smiled at her fusillade of questions and proceeded to try and answer them.

A small flash of white light came from where her hands where. As he moved his head to see it properly, it disappeared.

"What was that? Was that light you?" he asked.

She shook her head and replied "It may have just been a refraction of light."

He accepted her answer and asked her about her book again. At the invitation to describe her book her eyes lit up and somehow, her face got even brighter. Her delicate features quivered with excitement. She leaned forward in anticipation and opened her plum lips.

Her phone rang at that exact moment. Her face fell and lost some of that radiance it just gained. She pulled it out of her jeans and looked at the screen. Rogue noticed that upon seeing the caller, her face fell further.

She smiled at him and raised a finger as she answered, wait please.

"Hi Dad" she begun.

With his sensitive ears he heard the other side too.

"Where the fuck are you?" a gruff voice demanded.

"I'm just in the bookstore on Canary Street."

"Hurry the fuck up" he demanded, not caring where she was

"Yeah I am. I'll just finish reading the book I picked up." She smiled into the phone at the aggressive man she called "Dad".

"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF? I SAID HURRY UP. SO GET YOUR USELESS ARSE HOME NOW. Fucking hell."

He hung up.

She smiled apologetically at Rogue, not realising he heard the whole conversation.

"I have to leave now. There's a family emergency" She lied right through her teeth Rogue realised.

"That's understandable." _Might as well play along. I wasn't supposed to hear that anyway _"I hope we meet again Alina" he added sincerely. There was something about her that fascinated him and he wasn't ready to let the mystery leave.

She smiled radiantly, and picked herself up. She called a bye to Ethel and thanked her, and then as quickly as she came, she left.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's notes: **__Any characters from Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Ethel and Alina are works of my own imagination and I hold creative license for them._

_If you have followed this story thank you x I'm in the middle of writing it but I have the general plot in my head so unless someone dies, everything will be typed and up soon. Shoutout to my first follower and favouriter, love everything girl. Please leave reviews, I will read and reply to all._

As soon as she left, the bookstore lost its magic touch. It dulled somehow. She snuffed out the light she carried with her as she left, leaving Rogue feeling a strange kind of empty. He peeked his head out of the aisle to watch her fading back as she ran down the street.

Ethel chuckled, "She's a real charmer, isn't she?"

Rogue still unable to find words just nodded. Staring at the clock, he realised more than an hour had passed since he entered the store. Sighing at his inability to complete his original task, he turned to stand. An open book near his feet caught his eye. It was the book Alina wanted to finish before the brute of her father forced her home.

Without understanding why, he picked it up, folded her page and took it over to the till. As he handed it to Ethel and waited for her to get the system running, he glanced once more out the shop window, trying to catch one last glimpse of that radiant girl he just met.

"She's a real gem, she is." Ethel smiled at him and winked. Rogue couldn't help but blush slightly. "She has an aptitude for life, bless her. Shame about her father" she added, her sweet face contorting into a malicious glare.

"Her father? What's wrong with him?"

"He's a real tyrant. Controlling her and rumour has it he beats her."

_He beats her._

That was all Rogue could think as he handed her the money, thanked her and walked out.

_He hurts her. Someone could hurt a girl that defenceless? She wouldn't hurt a fly and someone would take advantage of her like that?_

Shaking in fury, Rogue subconsciously followed her scent, walking slowly to clear his mind. _How can her own father hurt her? How can he raise anything more than a feather on such a delicate woman? Stop it Rogue. It was a rumour. He could just be tyrannical. A rumour. That is all. A rumour._

Back and forth his mind swept, like a wooden boat caught in between a war between the Gods of the sea. Darkness had fallen by the time he had reached her house and he stopped in surprise. _I don't remember walking here… Well, I did buy her this book. Might as well give it to her._

Rogue picked up a toned arm to knock on the front door before stopping.

He had a better idea.

Three minutes later, he was crouched in the corner of her room behind a stand-alone mirror as his shadow self. He had the patience of a worldly man and so settled back into his darkness, shortly falling asleep.

Sometime later, he awoke. Her scent permeated his nose strong enough to rouse him out of his slumber. She had just shut her door. Rogue held his breath as she began to change for bed. He noted her shaky hands as she pulled her jeans off and shoved it in the cupboard before slowly and gingerly removing her jumper. She turned to finally face the mirror behind which sat Rogue. His mind went blank. Partly at the sight of her in her underwear, her creamy skin exposed and highlighted by the moonlight, every curve of generous bust emphasised and the soft contour of her body made apparent by the darkness of her room.

_Oh how I wish I was the light that gets to caress her body._

The thought streaked past his head without him realising he had even though it.

However, that was all irrelevant when he saw the tears silently but surely streaking down her face. She had her lips in her mouth as she slowly turned around to see her naked back in the mirror.

Three deep and long gashes that were steadily bleeding tore through her skin, covering the entire width of her back. Rogue began to shake in fury.

_The rumours were true. The fucking bastard beats her. _

_He. Hurts. Her._

His thoughts became incoherent as the lacerations stared him right in the face. Her muffled sobs reached him and shot him straight through the heart, tearing its way through him and rendering him broken.

Rogue saw red. Every fibre in his body told him to either hold her tight against his chest and protect her, or to go down and violently rearrange the face of the man who dared raise a whip against her. His hands began to shake as he pictured the man who did this. _No, not a man Rogue. A coward. A weakling. A poor, pathetic, inadequate waste of oxygen that doesn't deserve to live. _His breaths came jagged and sharp as his heart was wrung out watching. Dragon Slayers were easily riled up, by nature violent, but this took Rogue to a whole new level of rage. This was the kind of rage that would obliterate anything and everything in its way should it dare stand between the irate dragon and the prey.

She pulled on a frayed top that reached mid-thigh and gently eased herself into bed. Rogue stayed in the shadows, livid and hurting to help. He watched as she cried herself to sleep and continued watching for long after. He clasped his hands tightly to fight the urge to pick her up and cradle her, rocking her into a gentle sleep, like a baby.

_She would easily fit in my arms. She's absolutely tiny. _He held his breath and counted back and forth, back and forth to quell the burning desire to burrow her face against his chest, and soothe her with his steady heartbeat. _You hear that strong beat fairy? He's beating that hard for you. _

Hours must have passed before he finally stepped out of the shadows as man. With ghostly silence, he carried the book he brought and walked over to her tiny desk. He found a pen and inscribed the following inside:

_Alina,_

_I saw how much this book meant to you, and I felt saddened when you let it go._

_Please accept this as a token of friendship._

_If you would like to thank me in person, I'll be waiting by the giant cherry blossom tree in Magnus Park at 6pm._

_Your new friend,_

_Rogue._

Leaving the book open, he straightened up.

"Rogue..."

He heard his name mumbled and he whipped around. _She's still sleeping… so... who said my name? Could she be…?_

He walked over to her bed and looked down at her.

"Rogue…"

His heart skipped a beat as he realised the girl was dreaming of him. His eyes softened at her peaceful face. Reaching down to lift the blanket and cover her, she mumbled.

"Rogue… help…"

His fists clenching and his eyes tearing, he silently vowed to free her of the shackles of her father. He softly pushed back a lock of silk hair that had draped itself across her face. He cautiously traced her soft jaw before resting his hand gently upon the smooth skin of her full cheeks.

_I promise to help. I won't ever let you feel like that again, I promise._

With renewed vigour in his steps, he silently departed, leaving the dreaming girl.

Rogue left her room and made his way back to the apartment he shared with Sting, his thoughts fully occupied by a certain dark haired girl.

He couldn't understand why his heart did a somersault when he realised she was dreaming of him. He didn't understand why he had vowed to save a girl he had spoken to for less than an hour. _How could such an unassuming girl creep in and steal my breath? _She certainly wasn't the most beautiful or well-endowed woman ever. She didn't have the washboard abs that other girls in his guild possessed, but even still, nothing had ever quite stopped his heart the way her smile did. Nothing infected him as badly as her bright eyes did and certainly nothing set his heart racing the way her soft, feminine curves did.

He sighed as he realised he was in for a hell of a ride.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's notes: Any characters from Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Ethel and Alina are works of my own imagination and I hold creative license for them._

_Also, in Rogue's note I forgot to add when. He wishes to meet her three days after it was written. _

He had barely opened the door to his apartment when a furry pink cat launched itself at him, soaking the front of his shirt with tears.

"Fro was worried! Fro was scared"

Rogue stroked Frosch's head before shushing the crying Exceed.

"I'm sorry Frosch. I started wandering around and got a bit distracted"

"Is that you Rogue?" A distant voice yelled from the bathroom.

Rogue opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a grinning and half naked Sting.

"So which girl got you distracted huh?" he asked with a sly grin and mischievous eyes.

Rogue was about to deny the allegations before realising he probably-to Sting's sharp nose-reeked of Alina. He sighed and told Sting he'd tell him tomorrow.

"For now, I'm heading to bed. I'm exhausted". It was true, the potent emotional rollercoaster she put him through had drained him.

Rogue walked past Sting who was grinning wildly, resembling a hybrid Mad Hatter and Cheshire cat.

"You smell funny!" he called after Rogue

_Not interested._

Rogue collapsed into bed with a sleeping Fro on top of his body. With a sigh he shut his eyes and prayed for the escape sleep brought.

When sleep wouldn't embrace him and take him to that gentle land, he allowed his mind to wander as it had been straining to do. He thought of how one fateful encounter in a bookstore has now changed everything. The rage he felt when he saw Alina's injuries. The Shadow had whispered in his ears then. The evil counterpart that haunted him all his life, trying to become one with him. The Shadow almost won then. He was so close, so close to letting him in and allowing him to run rampant. But it was by looking at the sleeping girl that he somehow managed to squash him. Her serene form brought him back from the edge. Watching her chest rise and fall with every breath calmed him, soothed him. Inevitably, he thought of her. The way her silken hair caught light and reflected it back. Her petite frame as she sat curled like a baby reading. They way her entire form lit up at a simple question. Her ability to make him feel like the only person she ever wanted to speak to. The way she bit her full lower lip as she focused. The fact that she was probably small enough to sit on his lap and not be in the way. _Her in my arms… _That was what he had wanted most then. He wanted to scoop her up and flee into the night with her, taking her away from her nightmare. He wanted to bring her here, his haven, and bring her to his bed. He wanted to kiss the pain away from her back and draw her in close, holding her small self tightly. He wanted her to find comfort and peace in his arms. He wanted her face to be the last and first thing he saw. He wanted to bury his face in that shock of black hair. He wanted her to be his. He wanted her to hear his heart beat solely for her. Most importantly, he wanted her to know. Somewhere during his mess of thoughts, sleep came and dragged him under, for all he remembered thinking was _I'll make you mine._

"So. Who is she?" Sting rather cheerfully enquired over coffee and toast the next morning.

With a deep sigh, Rogue began.

"I met her in a bookstore. She was reading when I saw her. I shocked her when I spoke to her, so much so that she fell off her box" he chuckled fondly remembering the cute expression on her face. He continued telling him about her sudden departure and left it there.

"If that's all the time you spent together, then why did you absolutely smell of her" Sting asked, wrinkling his nose.

Rogue then told him the rest. How he followed her scent home, and waited in her room. He told him what he discovered. He told him of the vow he took.

Sting looked at him in shock.

"Wow. To think that all happened in a day. To think you fell in love in less than twenty four hours."

Rogue snapped his head up from its previous glare at the floor.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're in love. Oh. Didn't you realise? Well I suppose you can't hear your own heart" he mused. "You probably thought you're just crushing on her, right?" Rogue nodded.

"Well, I can hear your heart sing it loud and clear. You're in love with her. You want her to be yours."

A sudden sombre tone fell upon the two Dragon Slayers and the two Exceeds. Rogue was surprised at his partner's perceptive comments. He usually is too dense to see things happening directly in front of him.

"Are you going to claim her?" he asked quietly.

Rogue looked him straight in the eye, before dropping his head to the table.

"Urgh I don't know. It's happening so fast. She probably thinks of me as a random stranger or an acquaintance at most. There's no way a normal girl could fall for someone at the same pace a Dragon Slayer would."

"Would you like to claim her?"

"… Yes. I would very much like to claim her. But I can't. Not now. Maybe never."

A silence fell upon the group as they all wallowed in Rogue's misery.

"Rogue" Fro whined. "Will you forget me because you love her?"

Rogue chuckled at the Exceed and placed the cat in a hug.

"Never Fro."

"Weeeelll, now that boring stuff is over" Sting began, earning a glare from Rogue. "Lector and I found a cool mission to do!"

Rogue spent the rest of the day beating monsters with Sting, but his heart wasn't in it. When the job was over, Sting, Lector and Frosch returned to the guild while he went on home. Once home, he stood in the shower, letting the steaming water wash away the dirt on him. Once done, he wandered around his home, absently eating before collapsing in bed. He realised that now he witnessed how bright life could be when Alina was there, everything had consequently dulled. He fell asleep dreaming of what they could have.

When Alina woke the next day, nose blocked, back aching and face crusty with dried tears, the book wasn't the first thing she noticed. She spent time lying in bed, thinking about the roguishly handsome man who she spoke with the day before. His midnight black locks obscured one eye, and the eye the world had the privilege to see was a burning red. He was tall, that much she knew for a fact. She at the very least reached his lower chest. The rest of her observations were assumptions. He filled out his sweatshirt easily, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. She could easily imagine an expanse of smooth muscle lying underneath. Hard pectorals, and below that, miles of ab and below that… She blushed at such crude thoughts and with that, she got up.

Her back stung with every step she took, a painful reminder of the humiliation she faced yesterday. She came home later than expected, and received a punishment worthy of it in his eyes. He tore her top off and threw her onto the floor. The rest… Without realising, tears slowly coursed down her face. She sobbed and made her way to her cupboard, knowing if she took any longer and fed him late, things would escalate quickly.

_Did I leave a book there?_

She stared open mouthed at the brand new book sitting on her desk. The tears stopped flowing as she reached for it and opened it. There was a note inside; _Alina _it began. A smile so big it hurt her cheeks spread across her face. A giddy excitement fell across her as she gently thumbed the writing. She was so consumed by the fact that he thought of her, and not only that, _but wanted to see her again _that it prevented her from questioning what he saw if he snuck into her room.

_He would be waiting by the giant cherry blossom tree in Magnus Park three days from now at 6pm. Now two days. _

_Two days._

Suddenly somehow, the pain she felt seconds earlier disappeared, to be replaced with a warm glow. The prospect of going downstairs no longer terrified her. She had something to think of. To dream of as she slaved around her Dad.

_Two days till we meet again._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's notes: Any characters from Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Ethel and Alina are works of my own imagination and I hold creative license for them._

For both of them, those two days flew by. Rogue went on missions with Sting as usual, but in between battles and catching thieves, he found his mind wandering to what could happen when they met. His inability to control his wandering mind almost caused him to lose an appendage.  
"Jesus fucking Christ Rogue what the fuck? You almost lost your arm because you were fucking daydreaming. Again."

Rogue knew Sting's concern was well placed but he couldn't help but bristle at his expletive loaded concern. Recently he had a hard time thinking straight and the blonde twit was too dense to even begin to comprehend the inner turmoil he felt. Even though he couldn't admit it, he pictured the blank face of Alina's father under his fists as he pummelled a Vulcan or a criminal. And in those moments, the Shadow would seductively slide in, guiding him, showing Rogue where to hit for the most pain, how to take them to the brink of death and pull them back again, letting them wish they died. It was the presence and friendly guidance of the Shadow that Rogue feared the most. On one hand, he had found his mate and his heart soared when he thought of her, but on the other hand the Shadow was become harder to resist, tainting his thoughts with bloodlust, revenge and cold-hearted murder. Shouldn't he be in eternal bliss now? Shouldn't his tormented soul be at peace now?

Alina floated through the two days. Her heart and mind romped like God, leaving her perishable and mortal form on Earth, living her mundane life. Up in the air, she dreamt and dreamt. She created perfect scenarios and lived and relived them again. While her hands washed dishes, her mind strolled hand in hand with the dark haired enigma. Late at night, when her thoughts kept her awake, she flashed back to the smile he graced her with when she fell. It was a smile that she could tell rarely adorned that classically handsome face. When his dark red lips turned up, they created two little indents in his cheeks and the look suited him very well she decided. His breath taking ruby eyes became slits and crinkled in the corner. It was a smile that promised the world. It was a smile that made her knees weak and her insides mushy. It was a smile she had every intention to see again.

_I'll have that smile rear its beautiful head at me again. That's a promise._

Sooner than any of them had hoped, the fateful day had arrived. Rogue found himself pacing the guild hall in anticipation, apprehension and frustration. Six pm couldn't come quick enough it seemed. When the giant clocked chimed four, he deemed it acceptable to go prepare for his… _my what? Is this a date? _Shaking his to rid himself of the excessive thoughts, he made his way home. _I suppose it makes sense to shower first. _Stepping into his spacious bathroom, he quickly tugged his black shirt over his head. He turned to observe his scar ridden body.  
Years of harsh training with Sting had given him a perfectly chiselled torso that would make even Adonis weep bitter tears. The smooth expanse of muscle was marred slightly by the various scars he had garnered over the past years. He absent-mindedly stroked each one, recalling the story behind each. He glanced at his face in the mirror, something he's avoided doing recently since he knew there was a jagged line of healing skin there that made his beauty a sort of liminal space, and he didn't want to think what side of that Alina fell on. There was now one long smooth scar that trailed from his left temple and ended on the right side of his nose, marring his otherwise flawless face. Breaking the spell, he finally hopped into his shower, allowing the water to clean his body, while he secretly wished it would purify his soul. _How could a beast, a monster like me even think such a pure soul could be mine? If the Shadow isn't a testament to that then my physical body is.  
_Realising he was beginning to fall into a sempiternal spiral of self-hate and depression, he turned the dial down to freezing to snap him out of it. It worked well enough because before he knew it he had clad his lithe form in a dark grey shirt and black pants and was on his way to the giant cherry blossom tree in Magnus Park.

Fortunately, the only thing Alina had on her mind was how her father would take the news of her going out again so soon after the last time. She had steadily been working on buttering him up, even giving him a few extra cups of booze to fog his mind enough to let her go. Garbed in a pure white dress that stopped just short of her knees, she made her way downstairs with trepidation. She had a plain canvas bag that she used for shopping slung over her shoulder to house the new gem in her life: the book Rogue brought her. The thought still made her weak at the knees and caused her to smile like a drunken fool. Feeling her cheeks burn up, she put the thought out of her mind as she nervously called out.

"Dad?

No reply.

She tried again, calling louder.

"Whaddya want?" he groggily replied. _Maybe I gave him one too many drinks…_

She finally stepped into the living room and began to ask him.

"Well, basically… the weather is beautiful and... I was wondering if I was allowed to go... read in the park…" she trailed off and began silently waiting for a response, staring at the floor.

She waited for a minute before finally glancing up.

_He had fallen asleep?!_

Glancing at the time, she realised she was going to be late. If she waited around for him to wake up, she'd practically miss him.

She scrunched her eyes shut as she ran from the living room and tore down the streets, desperate to make it at a reasonably acceptable time. H_e'll still be knocked out by the time i get back, I'm sure of it. There's no point missing Rogue if nothing will happen. _She repeated it to herself again and again, a mantra to stop her soul quivering in fear.

_She's late. Is she not gonna show at all? Maybe she's not allowed. Fuck, I should have thought of that possibility. Perhaps she thinks I'm some stalker creep and she's going to avoid me. She's fifteen minutes late… face it Rogue, she was never going to show up. Like you said before, you're an unsightly beast and she's a radiant angel.  
_Just as he began to turn to leave, he heard that rare melody once again.

"Rogue don't leave! Rogue wait! I'm here!"

He slowly turned. His breath hitched and his eyes widened at the godly sight before him. Alina was running down the path paved between two rows of weeping willows. The sun had begun to set, casting a rosy glow on the park. She was tearing through the path, luscious locks that were tainted brown by the sun bouncing on her back. With a blush he noticed that wasn't the only thing bouncing. Her dress, a simple white shift, was an apt choice he noted. _Pure and simply beautiful… just like you. _She came to a hasty stop just in front of him. She had doubled over as she fought to catch her breath. Her chest heaved with pants and her cheeks were flushed red from the exertion of running. Her hair fell in tousled waves around her body.

She looked beautiful.

"Hey" she managed to pant out between long breaths.

Rogue couldn't help but grin at her ragged state.

"Hey you" he said while reaching to tousle the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry I made you wait. I didn't see the time and when I did, it was too late. I ran all the way here. I looked like a right twit" she added with a rueful laugh, straightening up to look around her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

_I would happily wait forever and a day for you _he thought.

Unable to not smile at her, he brushed it away.

"It's fine. I was a tiny bit late myself so I wasn't waiting quite as long as you'd think" he lied. "And I highly doubt you could look like a twit, even if you tried."

Alina blushed deeply at what she thought was a veiled compliment and sat down, leaning against the bark. She pulled her book out of her bag as Rogue sat beside her. Their thighs touched and once again she blushed. _I'll end up with a nose bleed at this rate _she thought. Clearing her throat she turned to finally look him straight in the face.

She gasped loud and clear. She couldn't not gasp, hard as she tried.

Her book fell from her hands, forgotten, as she scrutinised Rogue's face. Her face scrunched and her lips disappeared as the fresh scare glared violently at her. Without realising it, she reached up to gently touch the raw flesh that tore through his nose bridge.

"How did that happen?" she asked quietly, peeking up at him with honey eyes brimmed with concern and worry.

_This is it. Now I find out which side of the threshold she falls on. _

Troubled, Rogue cleared his throat to explain.


End file.
